


War Can't Teach You Everything

by softency



Category: GOT7, JJ Project
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Alien/Human Relationships, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Alternate Universe - Space, Culture Differences, Getting to Know Each Other, Honestly Just Read It I Can't Explain It Well, Just Trust Me Here It'll Work Out, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shapeshifting, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:16:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27138553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softency/pseuds/softency
Summary: "I’m Jaebeom.” He breathes out, giving him a nervous smile and placing his hand in Jinyoung’s when he reaches out to shake hands.Jinyoung smiles back and Jaebeom watches in poorly hidden curiosity as Jinyoung’s eyes crinkle at the edges.“I hope your stay here is a good one.”
Relationships: Im Jaebum | JB/Park Jinyoung
Comments: 6
Kudos: 51





	War Can't Teach You Everything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi i'm back

When Jaebeom steps foot onto the ship he’s halfway prepared to meet new people that will become his shipmates. 

It’s always jarring to learn about new species and see new fighting styles, but it’s not the worst thing in the world. 

“Everyone here is calm for the most part, the only aggressive individual on the ship nearly never comes out of his room so it shouldn’t become a problem.” The captain of the ship informs him as they walk through the first set of doors leading into an airlock before they officially are inside. “Some might take time to welcome you into the family, but trust me, you’ll find yourself fitting in without even trying. Everyone here is different, we only have one of a species on board to avoid conflicts.” 

Jaebeom nods, jumping a little bit as the airlock seals and the air is sterilized by something blowing out of vents above his head. 

“If you ever have any trouble don’t hesitate to bring it to my attention.” He tacks on and Jaebeom nods again. 

The airlock unlocks with a near deafening hiss and Jaebeom is met with the glow of fluorescent lights lighting the first room. 

“Well,” The man begins, clapping Jaebeom on the back friendly. “Welcome to the family, son.”

When the captain had said they were a big family, he didn’t expect them to actually _be_ a big family in numbers. 

There’s at least twenty people in the dining hall when they both walk in, and Jaebeom quickly gets swamped by people asking him questions in so many different accents from around the galaxy.

It’s overwhelming but the captain helps him through it and calms the crew down the moment they begin buzzing like excited puppies. 

Slowly he begins to work his way through the crowd, names and faces beginning to blur together before someone sitting at the far end of the room catches his eye. 

_He’s human._

Jaebeom’s stare lingers as long as he can afford before he’s dragged back into another introduction, this time meeting a woman made completely of magma.

The man stays in the back of his mind throughout the entire process, but when he turns back to him the first chance he gets he’s gone. 

It’s only seconds later that Jaebeom nearly jumps out of his skin in alarm when someone taps on his shoulder from behind. 

When he spins around his eyes blow wide, not expecting it to be the man he’d seen earlier and definitely not expecting him to be standing _this close._

The man chuckles at his alarm and Jaebeom is too mesmerized by how _beautiful_ he is up close to get the chance to feel offended.

“I’m Jinyoung, you’re the new crewmate, right?” The man speaks in perfect English which catches Jaebeom off guard, having heard dozens of accents and broken English since he stepped on board. His voice has a lilt to it when he speaks, the pattern of the syllables just ever so off beat, but it’s nothing that Jaebeom pays more than a millisecond’s attention to.

“Yeah, that’s me. I’m Jaebeom.” He breathes out, giving him a nervous smile and placing his hand in Jinyoung’s when he reaches out to shake hands. 

Jinyoung smiles back and Jaebeom watches in poorly hidden curiosity as Jinyoung’s eyes crinkle at the edges. 

“I hope your stay here is a good one.”

Jaebeom ends up being drawn into a few groups of people, quickly becoming friends with many people on the ship. Yet even with all these new people in his life, Jinyoung is just… alluring to him.

They both hit it off incredibly easily and Jinyoung ends up being the one instead of the captain himself to show him all the ropes and fully getting him settled.

He does note that most people leave Jinyoung alone, they don’t bother him too much or seek him out to play and tease with. Jaebeom doesn’t know _why_ but it’s just something that’s a reality.

A reptilian man and a man that glows a nearly radioactive looking green quickly become close to Jaebeom, not as close as Jinyoung, but after the first month on board they begin to settle into part of his daily routine.

It’s nice; nicer than Jaebeom ever though it could be on a new ship. 

It’s one afternoon while eating dinner together that he gets a glimpse of Jinyoung interacting with people when he’s not around. 

Jinyoung had gotten to the dining hall first for once, and he’s standing beside the table the few orc-like beings have accepted to be their own. 

Jaebeom doesn’t think too much of it, though, happily walking towards him but nearly stopping in surprise when he gets into earshot of their conversation. 

He’s… Jinyoung doesn’t sound like anything he’s ever heard, his voice is completely different, no longer speaking english and adopting a low, guttural tone. If he wasn’t watching Jinyoung’s lips move along with the voice right now, he wouldn’t have ever expected it to be _Jinyoung_ speaking.

Before he can get across the room to him though a familiar face pops up right in front of him, effectively blocking his view of Jinyoung. 

Jaebeom thinks he sees the reptilian eyes of his friend glint with something, but he quickly brushes it off and lets him lead Jaebeom over to their table with a hand on his forearm. 

He steals one last look behind him at Jinyoung, stunned when he sees him glaring his way with a clear intent. It takes him a few seconds to realize he isn’t looking at _Jaebeom,_ but rather their friend that is walking with him back to their spot. 

“We’re having the liquid meal you really liked last time tonight.” He says, giving Jaebeom a friendly grin and Jaebeom easily returns it, the odd atmosphere dissipating from his mind. 

“The soup?” He asks, seperating from him and walking over to sit on his usual side of the table, getting a surprise when he’s followed and the other sits down in the seat Jinyoung usually occupies. 

“Mmhm, it should be ready in a few minutes.” He confirms and Jaebeom idly nods, wanting to look back and check on Jinyoung again but their other friend is joining them in the next moment, sparking up an upbeat conversation that completely erases the small worry from his mind. 

Jinyoung seems to get busy the next few days, because he doesn’t join them at meals nor does he come to the common room to watch tv with him like he does when Jaebeom leaves his room at night, insomnia creeping in on his senses but easily being relaxed in Jinyoung’s company. 

One night he finds himself wandering the hallways, unable to convince his mind to turn off so that he can get a good eight hours of sleep.

Most all lights are off, and without windows leading outside, the only light comes from the old looking fluorescent light strips hanging from the ceiling. 

As he turns the corner leading away from the crew quarters and into the more so shared area, he spots something oddly lit up. 

He hesitates, before (against his better judgement) he begins walking towards the light. 

As it grows closer it dawns on Jaebeom that it’s their gym that’s lit up, not the spare tv room or the area with the huge garden.

It’s almost like the room is drawing him in, making him not even realize he’s steps away from the doorway until he spots movement. 

Panic shoots through him for a split second, not wanting to intrude on anyone, but then the figure inside clicks in his mind. 

It’s Jinyoung. 

Jaebeom breathes out a sigh of relief, relaxing as he walks closer without hesitation this time. It’s just Jinyoung, and even though Jaebeom still halfway doesn’t want to intrude, he's craving to see him right now. He hasn’t slept well in the past two nights and Jinyoung always seems to have a remedy for it. 

Jinyoung doesn’t react when Jaebeom gently pushes the door open, slipping almost silently into the room. 

He gets four feet away from him before Jinyoung spares him a glance. He’s lifting weights that look _very_ heavy and Jaebeom’s eyes linger on the way his muscles shift as Jinyoung flexes and lifts the bar. 

Jinyoung’s features are blank for a second before a tinge of fondness glazes over them. “You’re here.” He says simply, gently letting down the bar of weights.

Jaebeom gives him a gentle smile, nodding a tiny bit and slipping his hands into the pocket of his pullover. He curiously glances at the weights, taken back by the numbers he can read. The circle blocks have 200 and 300 on them, but there’s three stacked together. He could only see the outward facing ones, and even they completely stunned him. 

_Jinyoung had been lifting over 500 pounds like it was nothing._

“Why are you awake?” He asks gently, wiping his hands on his pants. “It’s late.” 

“I couldn’t sleep.” He says quietly, bringing his eyes back up to Jinyoung’s and getting puzzled at how intensely Jinyoung is staring him down. 

“Are you feeling alright?” Jinyoung asks immediately, moving his eyes over Jaebeom to check him. 

“No- I’m fine, I just… It’s just another night.” He stutters through his words as soon as Jinyoung meets his eyes again.

Jinyoung pauses for a few seconds before humming softly in acknowledgement. “Well, let’s get you relaxed.” He says certainly, moving to set the bar next to the wall before turning back to him.

“Wait, really?” Jaebeom blanks, not having expected Jinyoung to actually drop what he was doing just to help him out.

“Yeah?” He retorts, already walking towards the door. “I want to help you.”

Jaebeom lets out a shaky breath before following after him, staying just a few paces behind Jinyoung as he leads them towards the common area that they usually hang out in. 

Jinyoung practically pulls him down next to him when Jaebeom hesitates to sit down, draping an arm over his shoulders as he reaches for the remote and clicks the TV on. 

Jaebeom immediately melts into the weight against him, the simple touch drawing out all the tension in his shoulders. 

It’s something about Jinyoung that just… feels like home. That’s the only way he can manage to describe it. Jinyoung puts him at ease when they’re together and it drives all the nagging thoughts out of Jaebeom’s mind. 

“Go to sleep, Jaebeom.” Jinyoung murmurs and Jaebeom hums back in response, leaning his head against Jinyoung’s shoulder and in what feels like just seconds, his eyes are shut and he’s drifting off. 

Jaebeom wakes up wrapped in a blanket in his own bed, making him question if last night was real.

He thinks nothing has changed when Jinyoung doesn’t show up to breakfast or lunch the same day, he’s been absent since the week began.

It’s more jarring at this point when Jinyoung _shows up_ right after he begins eating his food. 

Tonight it’s only him and the glowing man at their end of a long table, making small talk here and there, both of them exhausted from their chores for the day. 

His eyes widen as he sees Jinyoung walk into the room, already heading directly their way and not stopping to speak to some people like he usually would in the evening. 

Jinyoung just comes over to their table and slides into his seat next to Jaebeom like nothing has changed. 

“Are you feeling better?” He asks gently, moving to brush Jaebeom’s hair back from his forehead and Jaebeom’s eyes widen in surprise at the gentleness. 

“Yeah.” He breathes out, watching Jinyoung give him a content smile. 

“Good.” Jinyoung murmurs, draping an arm over Jaebeom’s shoulders and out of instinct, Jaebeom immediately melts into the touch. 

With Jinyoung draped over him like this he’s much more than just better, but he won’t outright say it. 

It’s nice having Jinyoung back, it’s a comforting feeling to hear him pitching in with the conversation, even if he doesn’t eat along with them that afternoon.

A month in, they’re paired for sparring. 

He’s fought with most of the other beings on the ship, ranging from getting his clothes scorched by a woman who resided in a sun before it imploded, to getting tossed around by a humanoid that could go from a jelly like form to as solid as brick.

Another human couldn’t be horrible to spar with, it’ll actually be a nice change from people either trying to eat him or gut him.

“You’re here early.” Jaebeom comments as he pushes open the door, closing it gently behind him and making sure it shuts properly. 

“If you’re not early, you’re late.” Jinyoung says with a soft chuckle in his voice, making Jaebeom smile because _of course he has that attitude._

“Captain mentioned you haven’t lost to anyone yet.” He brings up and the way Jinyoung raises his eyes to look at him puts Jaebeom on edge for an unknown reason. 

“I guess I haven’t.” Jinyoung coyly comments, a kittenish grin pulling at the edges of his lips. “You’ve had a rough time with your pairings, right?” 

Jaebeom huffs, sitting down in front of him and joining in with Jinyoung’s stretching on the floor. “I’m a skilled fighter but I was never trained to avoid getting _eaten.”_

Jinyoung barks out a laugh that shakes his entire torso. “Get used to it, there’s more crew that will try if you spar with them.” 

“Fantastic, just what I love to hear.” Jaebeom grumbles sarcastically, but there’s no real bite in his voice. “You won’t try to eat me, right?”

There’s a glint in Jinyoung’s eyes, something Jaebeom has never seen before. “I don’t bite, if that’s what you’re asking.” He says in a light, teasing voice.

A few minutes of stretching later they’re both getting to their feet, adjusting and getting ready to begin. 

Jaebeom gets into a defensive stance, watching Jinyoung flex his knuckles but oddly enough, not balling his hands into fists like Jaebeom. He just lets them rest open naturally by his side as he stares Jaebeom down, both of them getting ready to fight in the coming seconds. 

He’s nearly distracted by that small action before a movement catches his eye, his attention snapping back to Jinyoung’s face just in time to watch his lips pull into a confident, toothy grin. 

_Jaebeom’s blood runs cold._

**_Jinyoung’s teeth are as sharp as knives._ **

In that moment Jaebeom freezes, not being able to even recognize what the fuck he is seeing right now. It’s jarring, and Jinyoung moves too fast for him to regain footing. 

He’s quick, Jaebeom knows that, he’s _seen it_ for himself, but not like _this._

Jaebeom blinks once and Jinyoung has closed half the distance between them effortlessly, barely giving him any time to gasp in a mix of shock and fear before Jinyoung is swiping his feet from underneath him.

He comes back to when his back collides painfully with the mats, nearly knocking the wind out of him. 

Luckily for him, his mind comes back online a second before Jinyoung is on him, nearly pinning him down instantly if Jaebeom hadn’t pushed hard at his chest. He manages to scramble back to his feet, narrowly dodging a swipe from one of Jinyoung’s arms-

_Are those scales?!?!_

Jaebeom lets out a squeak in alarm but it’s already too late and something slimy wraps around his ankle and _jerks,_ pulling his legs out from under him in a split second. 

He lets out a sharp scream that stops abruptly as his back slams into the mats again. 

A sharp pain booms through his head as it connects to the mats in the next second, making his vision blur for a second. By the time Jaebeom’s vision clears he nearly jumps out of his skin.

_Jinyoung’s pupils are slitted like a cat’s._

He’s too spooked by the sudden change to resist Jinyoung pinning down his forearms and kneeling down on his thighs, keeping him forcefully against the ground.

In seconds the fight drains out of him as he’s rendered speechless, staring up at Jinyoung’s haunting eyes in a mix of shock and amazement. Jinyoung doesn’t move to eat him, thankfully. He just lets Jaebeom slowly take in what he’s seeing, his mind trying to catch up with everything happening. 

He... _isn’t_ human? 

“Jinyoung..?” He breathes out, his skin crawling as he watches real time as Jinyoung’s features ripple, shifting for a few seconds before settling back into the face he’s used to seeing daily.

“You didn’t know, did you?” Jinyoung asks teasingly, leaning in closer and Jaebeom’s heart rate doubles. “Cute.”

“What’s…” He tries to get out, but he has to take a breath to continue. “What’s going on?” 

Jinyoung tilts his head a tiny bit like a cat, watching Jaebeom with eyes that are going to haunt Jaebeom for the rest of his lifetime. “I’m not human.” Jinyoung says as if it should be obvious, and even though he’s seen all of this just moments ago, hearing those words makes his head spin. “I’m a shifter.”

Jaebeom’s mind blanks, staring up at Jinyoung with wide eyes. 

_He’s a shifter. A shapeshifter. One of the most dangerous races out in the galaxy._

“But you…” Jaebeom tries to rationalize, but he stops as he watches Jinyoung’s lips pull up into a knowing grin, sharp teeth peeking out.

“You never asked.” Jinyoung says simply, just seemingly content to watch Jaebeom like a predator watches its prey.

“You’re- Holy shit, don’t tell me you’re going to eat me.”

Jinyoung barks out a laugh, shaking his head at that. “I won’t bite unless you want me to.” Jinyoung says and the suggestive tone nearly stops Jaebeom’s heart.

“Are you… flirting with me..?” Jaebeom asks, regretting it as soon as Jinyoung’s eyes turn from amusement to clueless curiosity.

“Flirting?” Jinyoung repeats like it’s the first time he’s ever heard of the word, and Jaebeom can’t tell if it’s real or not. 

“Nevermind-”

“Wait is that like dating? Like romantic involvement?” Jinyoung interrupts, seemingly having a lightbulb moment. 

“Kind of.” He manages to answer, getting progressively more and more uneasy being underneath Jinyoung even though he hasn’t made any move to directly harm him yet. 

“Then yeah, I thought it was obvious I’m drawn to you, you’re an attractor.” Jinyoung responds easily, finally sitting up and letting go of his forearms, opting to just sit back on his thighs and stare at him from there. 

“Do you mean attractive?” 

“Whatever.” Jinyoung waves off, reaching up and brushing his thumb over Jaebeom’s lips curiously. “I’ve been wanting to court you for a while now but everyone keeps stealing you away.”

Jaebeom openly gawks at that, his jaw dropping. “Courting?” He squeaks out after it’s fully registered in his mind. 

“Yeah, as in seeing if we’d be compatible mates.” Jinyoung explains further like all of this should have been obvious. 

“And you- _me?”_ He chokes out, his cheeks flushing a bright red that gradually spreads down his neck to his chest.

“You’re cute.” Jinyoung says simply, his fingers trailing from his lips to his chin, following the flush down his neck to the collar of his shirt. 

“But I’m- I’m _boring.”_ Jaebeom tries to argue but Jinyoung is quicker than him, or maybe Jaebeom’s brain is still just lagging from everything happening. 

“I could give you a _list_ of people who want to court you.” Jinyoung states, leaning forward a tiny bit to emphasize what he’s saying. “They kept trying to steal your attention, and Jaebeom,” Jinyoung says before pressing his hand on Jaebeom’s chest right on top of his heart. “I don’t like losing.” 

Jaebeom feels his breath escape him, rendering him speechless yet again. 

“I want you for myself, if you’ll let me court you, that is.” Jinyoung says confidently, giving him a soft smile and on instinct Jaebeom nods. 

It takes him a few seconds, but he eventually regains his voice. “Alright.” 

“Alright?” Jinyoung repeats, a bright grin pulling at his lips.

It should be terrifying seeing the sharp teeth up close, but alarmingly Jaebeom finds it alluring.

“You’re going to let me court you?” Jaebeom nods and that brings out an ecstatic smile on Jinyoung. “Ooh they’re going to be so mad.” He says with a soft giggle, sitting up fully. 

Jaebeom can feel a smile pulling at his lips also, it becomes contagious. “I’ve never been courted, how does that happen in space?” 

“I have to prove that I’m a perfect mate.” Jinyoung says, puffing up happily. 

“Confident?” Jaebeom asks with a soft laugh, seeing amusement dance in Jinyoung’s eyes. 

“Very.” Jinyoung confirms, giving him a soft, more genuinely affectionate now. 

“Alright, I’ll give this a try.” He fully agrees, locking himself into this.

If he’s honest, he doesn’t hate the idea of dating a shapeshifter, even though it’s initially terrifying.

He can get used to staring into green cat-like eyes as long as they’re looking back at him with this same glint of adoration. 

Jaebeom doesn’t notice much of a difference in Jinyoung, just that he hangs around him all the time now. 

He hasn’t scared Jaebeom since the spar and he’s halfway thankful for that, but the other half of him is slowly turning into curiosity of what Jinyoung _naturally_ looks like. 

Out of nowhere Jinyoung begins doting on him, trying to give him things and feed him whenever he possibly can. 

Jaebeom has no idea why there’s something at his lips the first time it happens, eyes shooting to Jinyoung’s who’s supposed to be eating a late lunch. 

It’s one of Jinyoung’s strawberries that’s tucked between his fingers, and he’s looking at Jaebeom like he expects a certain reaction. 

Jaebeom gives him an awkward smile before he shakes his head minisculy. “I’m not hungry, you need to eat.” He gently declines and a frown immediately pulls at Jinyoung’s lips, but he doesn’t insist further.

Jinyoung drops it onto his plate and picks up another to eat for himself. 

The second times it happens Jinyoung is sitting next to him a few days later at dinner and before Jaebeom knows it there’s a forkful of food at the edge of his vision. 

Jinyoung is staring at him expectantly again and this time Jaebeom completely flusters, not knowing why Jinyoung is acting like this with everyone around them. 

He tries to laugh it off, shaking his head a little bit but when Jinyoung persists this time he shakes his head a bit more seriously, a sorry smile on his lips. 

It isn’t that he hates the idea of Jinyoung feeding him, it’s the _times_ Jinyoung chooses to try to feed him that’s the problem. There’s always eyes on them in those moments and Jaebeom isn’t used to affection _behind_ closed doors, much less out in the open. 

It’s on the fifth try that what’s actually happening finally dawns on him. 

The offers have gotten progressively bigger and more extravagant, up to the point where Jinyoung stole his fork from him and wouldn’t stop pouting or give it back until Jaebeom let him feed him the foreign sweet dessert that was fixed that night. 

**He’s courting him, or at least, he’s** **_trying to._ **

This time when Jinyoung unwraps a chocolate type candy and hesitantly holds it out for him to take with his hands, Jaebeom gently leads the hand up to his lips and lets Jinyoung drop it into his mouth. 

During the entire exchange Jinyoung’s eyes blow wide and questioning, watching Jaebeom closely but doing what he’d tried to achieve on the first attempt. 

Jaebeom gives him what looks like an apologetic smile, taking his time chewing and swallowing the sweet melty candy before his mouth opens again expectantly just to make a point of this one. 

Jinyoung clearly hesitates for a long moment this time, not knowing what to do, but then he’s slowly unwrapping another and clumsily placing it into his mouth on his own this time. 

Jaebeom pretends not to notice the way that Jinyoung’s eyes linger on his lips for the rest of the night. 

  
Slowly, he begins entertaining all of Jinyoung's offers.

Jaebeom accepts the food that's offered to him without protest after he figured out _why_ Jinyoung was offering it. He's is still getting used to Jinyoung being affectionate out in the open, but he's gradually getting better about not shying away from it. 

One of Jaebeom's favorite changes between them, though, is that if Jaebeom isn't feeling well, or if he hasn't slept well the past few nights, Jinyoung will trail after him to Jaebeom's room and stay the night with him. 

If he thought just having Jinyoung's arm around him was relaxing, it's _nothing_ compared to being pulled close to him and wrapped up in his arms. 

It hits Jaebeom around a month into the courting that he's falling in love with Jinyoung quicker than he can keep up with. 

Jaebeom glances over to Jinyoung, who's laid out on the fake grass of the sanctuary area with him. It's not a huge room, but it's the most convincing in recreating a peaceful forest clearing that he's ever seen created, even down to the speakers playing the faint sound of birds chirping in the distance. 

"What's your home like?" Jaebeom asks quietly, playing with Jinyoung's fingers from where they'd been holding hands since they came inside of the space. 

"This is my home." Jinyoung murmurs, his head lazily turning to stare at him. "The ship."

"You don't... have a home planet?" He asks with a tinge of surprise, raising his eyebrows and rolling onto his side to give him all his attention. 

"I-... I do." Jinyoung has to try twice to get that out, almost like he doesn't honestly want to admit to it. "It's nothing special, though." He quickly tries to convince Jaebeom, but the dismissal isn't going to work this time. 

"Tell me about it? I want to know more about you." He murmurs, moving closer and shuffling around until he can lay his head against Jinyoung's shoulder, his entire body as relaxed as ever. "I still want to know about it even if it's boring because it's you telling me." 

Jinyoung seems stunned for a few long, drawn out seconds before he huffs, a tinge of red lighting up his ears. "Well, if you insist. Don't complain if it's uninteresting." He relents, and a giddy, victorious smile pulls on Jaebeom's lips as he begins speaking about where he grew up. 

He isn’t sure when it changes, but after another week he notices the difference. 

Jinyoung gets what Jaebeom can only describe as _territorial_ over him. 

This morning it quickly becomes too much, Jinyoung ripping him away from one of his reptilian friends when they touch his cheek.

It’s terrifying to _feel_ how strong Jinyoung actually is as he’s lifted off the ground and positioned behind him. 

But something else happens in that exchange that runs Jaebeom’s blood ice cold. 

Jinyoung _snarls._

He’s never made any noise more than a threatening rumble in his chest and even that spooked Jaebeom the first time he heard it. 

It's mostly due to Jinyoung staying consistently shifted as a human, his brain sometimes forgets Jinyoung isn't _actually_ one.

Jaebeom freezes in fear, taking a step back instinctively. 

_He shouldn’t be scared of him, he’s_ **_never_ ** _been afraid in his presence. Yet right now he’s completely caught off guard and fear quickly takes the opportunity to slip inside his mind._

He meets his friend’s eyes over Jinyoung’s shoulder and it’s shocking that he doesn’t look phased by Jinyoung’s outburst at all. He does take note of Jaebeom’s reaction and immediately turns to narrow his eyes at Jinyoung. 

_“You’re scaring him.”_ He hisses at Jinyoung, and Jaebeom can practically _feel_ the tension between the two rise to a dangerous high. 

“Don’t. Touch. Him.” Jinyoung snaps back but his voice sounds warped, a heavy accent threatening to take it over.

Jaebeom begins taking quiet steps backwards in the direction of the hallway leading to the crew quarters, trying to just get out of this unscathed. 

“He’s not your fucking property-”

Jinyoung raises his voice and cuts him off but Jaebeom quickly realizes it isn’t English that he’s speaking in, it’s something much more guttural and aggressive. 

Before he knows it they’re both yelling causing Jaebeom’s fight or flight kicks in, and he turns on his heel and _runs._

He can still hear them fighting as he opens his room’s door and nearly slams himself into it as he shuts it. 

_Maybe he was wrong about Jinyoung._

_Jaebeom doesn’t know what to think right now. He doesn't want to be scared of him, but the sound he made sticks inside Jaebeom's mind._

When dinner rolls around that afternoon Jaebeom doesn’t come out of his room to join everyone like usual. He can’t, he’s too anxious worrying about what would happen if he did show up. 

He hates that _he_ was the main source of the argument, he doesn’t want to be fought over. 

When the same friend walks up to his door and knocks, asking him if he’s sick, Jaebeom doesn't answer and luckily the other knows to leave it alone. 

“So, how are you holding up?” Someone next to him asks gently, and he’s too used to people suddenly appearing beside him by now to be spooked. 

It’s the next evening and Jaebeom got hungry enough to leave the safety of his room in the end. 

He looks over and it’s the woman, or being, that’s made of flowing magma. She doesn’t have any solid surface, but her body is formed just like a human’s. It almost looks like water inside of a glass. 

“What do you mean?” He asks, popping another bite of whatever this food is into his mouth. He’s given up trying to identify what food is from what culture here and just started eating without question thanks to Jinyoung feeding him for the past month. 

“Jinyoung called off the courtship.” She begins and Jaebeom’s blood runs cold. “He said he did something he isn’t proud of and he doesn’t deserve you any longer. He was quite upset.”

Just with that, Jaebeom's heart plummets.

Jaebeom is rendered speechless for a long minute, and she thankfully gives him the time he needs to take in the information she just gave him. 

“It’s the time of year that shifters usually go dormant with their mate. He usually just holes up in his quarters for one or two months and one of the reptilians will deliver him food twice every week.” She explains after he looks back to her in confusion, panic slowly setting in at the fact that _Jinyoung called everything off._

“He never told me any of that.” He breathes out, trying to make sense of what she’s telling him so easily. 

“It’s my suspicion that he didn’t tell you anything because he doesn’t want you to see his natural being.” She says with a small frown on her lips. “He can’t shift during that time, he won’t even let _us_ see him in that state.” 

Just like that everything clicks together in Jaebeom’s mind. 

Everything makes sense. 

“I need to talk to him, thank you for-”

“He’s already in dormancy. The night you hadn’t come to dine with us he announced both that and the courting.” She stops him with a gentle hand on his shoulder, shaking her head a tiny bit. 

“He’s going to talk to me or I’m going to break his door down.” Jaebeom says with a tone of finality and she hesitates before nodding in understanding.

“I wish you all the luck that I can, but please don’t be discouraged if he doesn’t answer.”

Jaebeom gives her a knowing smile, already moving towards the door leading out of the dining hall. 

_“Believe me, he’s going to open that damn door.”_

Jaebeom bangs on Jinyoung’s door as loud as he can, not caring if he has to alert the entire ship in the process of getting inside. 

He can hear movement just barely inside of the room and when something jostles the door a tiny bit he knows he’s got Jinyoung listening on the other side. 

A guttural voice says something Jaebeom can’t make out on the other side of the door, probably not even in English if he had to guess. 

“Open the door for me.” He says gently, quietly, like he’s speaking to a baby animal that’s skittish enough to freeze and reject anything at a moment’s notice. "You’re the only one on this ship I could ever see myself with now. Don’t fucking throw months of courting down the drain over this.”

“No.” The voice says over a moment of silence between them, the ship’s hum of machinery the only thing filling up the space between words.

"You could have just told me, you know. I would have at least _tried_ to help the situation.” Jaebeom explains, not knowing exactly what to say, he wants to say _everything._

“I’m not good for you, I’ll hurt you! He said all I’m doing is hurting you and I don’t want to do that!” Jinyoung’s voice breaks out, still not the one he’s used to but he can recognize the flow of his words anywhere.

Jaebeom freezes at the distress in Jinyoung’s voice, never having heard him completely broken up about something before. _“Who_ said that?” Jaebeom asks quietly, feeling the panic slowly drain out of his veins and resentment begin to appear in its place. 

“Your reptilian friend. He said we’d never be compatible no matter what I did and I-” Jinyoung’s voice breaks at the end, and Jaebeom feels his heart crack when he begins speaking again but this time his voice sounds wet like he’s crying. “I don’t want to trap my mate with me if that’s going to be the result.”

Jaebeom is silent for a long minute, anger quickly beginning to boil inside of him. “I’m going to tear him apart- who the _fuck_ does he think he is to speak to you like that?!” Jaebeom hisses out, stepping away from the door ready to go and track the man down before there’s the sound of metal moving and the door cracks open just a sliver. 

“Please don’t get mad on my behalf, it’s not worth it.” Jinyoung’s voice comes out clear as day but Jaebeom is close to seeing red. “He’s right, it was foolish to think it would work. No one wants a _shapeshifter_ as their mate-”

“But I do!” Jaebeom yells, everything he’s feeling finally boiling over. “I don’t give a shit if you’re one, I just want _you!”_

The last word echoes down the corridor hauntingly and with every passing second that Jinyoung doesn’t respond Jaebeom’s hopes of breaking through to Jinyoung chip away further. 

It has to be minutes that Jaebeom just stands there waiting for something, _anything_. 

He almost thinks it’s a trick of the eye at first glance, but after the door inches further open on it’s own he realizes Jinyoung let go of it and stepped away.

"All I want is you.” Jaebeom says at a lower speaking tone, not moving at all because he doesn’t know what’s happening on the inside of that room right now. “If _you_ don’t want to continue this though, I'll try my best to-”

Jaebeom is cut off by a hand shooting out from the darkness and wrapping around his bicep, dragging him into the room without Jaebeom even having enough time to _look_ at the thing grabbing him. 

_Jaebeom is a little embarrassed about the yelp that was ripped from him as he got yanked inside._

He’s immediately drawn into an embrace, strong arms wrapping and locking around him. It’s a familiar, reassuring feeling to be in his arms after everything was nearly called off.

The door slams shut and one of his arms leaves Jaebeom’s middle, it makes sense when a second later he hears the locks being put back in their places. 

As Jaebeom’s arms drape over Jinyoung’s shoulders there’s a low, rumbling sound that fills up the entire room. It takes him by surprise but his brain slowly puts it together that the noise was the same one Jinyoung made when Jaebeom would recuperate affection or even just let Jinyoung take care of him. It’s just louder this time, unrestrained.

“I _do_ want you.” Jinyoung mumbles, tucking his face into Jaebeom’s neck. “I just- he said- he told me that night that you said you _hated_ me.”

Jaebeom breathes in a shaky breath, trying to figure out why someone he thought was his friend would sabotage his courtship. Was he really that bitter that Jinyoung got to him first?

“Jinyoung.” He interrupts with a firm voice, leaving no room for hesitation. “If you asked me to be your mate right now I would say yes.”

Jinyoung makes a choked noise in between a groan and a whine at that, seemingly not expecting it at all. 

“If you want me to stay with you I will.” He adds cautiously, not wanting to push Jinyoung too far too fast but still wanting to offer since there is a _lot_ on the line right now

 _“Please?”_ Jinyoung breathes out sounding so desperate and vulnerable and that wraps around Jaebeom’s heart painfully. 

When Jinyoung pulls back and looks at him Jaebeom’s eyes widen in wonder.

Jinyoung’s skin is almost like snakeskin, but as he tilts his head Jaebeom sees that they’re not actually covering all of him. They move and adjust to fit together more-so like scales, actually. He still has black hair, but his eyes are an eerie shade of lime green that blends into a bright yellow. The only light that streams into the room is from the small window, and Jinyoung is angled just so that it allows light to shine through the colors, lighting them up beautifully and showing off the snake like irises. 

“You’re beautiful.” Jaebeom breathes out, moving one hand to touch his fingertips to Jinyoung’s jaw, hesitating as Jinyoung flinches away before slowly taking a deep breath and pressing his cheek to Jaebeom’s hand. “What… Do you do while you’re dormant?”

“I mostly sleep.” Jinyoung murmurs, leaning into Jaebeom’s touch as he fully presses his palm against his skin. 

“What do people with mates do?” Jaebeom asks quietly, stepping closer and giving him a soft smile. 

“They…” Jinyoung begins, but he’s quickly distracted by the way Jaebeom’s lips curl up. “They spend it together. It’s like a- what is it called… a honeymoon?’ 

“A honeymoon?” Jaebeom repeats questioningly, moving his hand from his cheek back down to the nape of his neck before threading his hand through Jinyoung’s hair, earning another loud rumble. 

“Yes, it’s- it’s a very private and intimate time for shifters. We’re at our most vulnerable, you know?” Jinyoung explains, watching Jaebeom’s reactions carefully as if he’s waiting for him to get in over his head and back out.

“So it’ll just be you and me for a month?” Jinyoung nods and Jaebeom hums softly, running his fingers through his hair fully before speaking again. “As long as I get to eat regularly I’ll stay with you for however long you’re dormant.”

“You’re amazing.” Jinyoung breathes out, giving him a happy smile. His teeth aren’t as sharp as he’d seen them that night they sparred, but they’re definitely not human teeth. 

“I’m just being a good mate.” Jaebeom chuckles, watching Jinyoung get caught off guard at the use of the word. Jaebeom isn’t sure if he’s ever referred to himself or Jinyoung as mates out loud, so it might be the first time he’s the one using the title. 

It’ll take getting used to, but he doesn’t mind putting in the work if it means he’ll get to see Jinyoung beam in happiness. 

A month with the man he loves doesn't seem like a bad time at all, the universe can wait until they're ready come out again.

Until then, Jaebeom is more than happy to fall to the bed with him and get wrapped up in those arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ,,, hi  
> i usually hate not dropping everything at once, but since it's def going to be a slow process to write rn with work, i figured i'd just drop the first part <3

**Author's Note:**

> my [twitter](https://twitter.com/softency) is the best place to see what I am working on/when I post <3  
> if you have any fic requests drop them on my [cc](https://curiouscat.me/softency) and i'll gradually make my way around to them!


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